Mr Sauer
by IceCrystal2
Summary: "Dogs have rightfully earned the title of Man's best Friend for a reason. They can be everything to a person simply because their human is everything to them. They love, protect, and cherish usually only one person in their entire lives. Their only thoughts and wishes to please that person. We should all be so lucky to find half their capacity of affection in a fellow human being."
1. Chapter 1

Something was definitely off about OSP that day when Callen settled into his desk as usual. Kensi and Deeks were bickering about what bar they thought best for the team bonding night that was planned that night. Sam was keeping an eye on them above his laptop, having greeted his partner on his entrance but going back to his work otherwise.

"You good Sam?" Callen asked, looking around for the eyes he felt in the back of his skull. He saw no one, but he looked over to Hetty's desk to discover it empty.

"Flu hit my house last night. Other than cutting it off as quarantine fine...Why?" The Ex-Seal abandoned his laptop in favor of a suspicious look to his partner. While not a big deal it seemed to pull the other partnership out of their bickering to do the same.

"Something's going on." Callen muttered, continuing to look around, everything looked normal. The other agents and support staff was acting as they always did, mulling around productively. Why then did he feel like something was off? It didn't necessarily feel wrong, just off. He could have sworn he still felt someone staring at him.

"What's up G?" Sam asked more serious as Callen continued looking around with a deep frown marring his features.

"I don't know. Something's off." He answered honestly, setting the other agents on edge enough to further quiet both Deeks and Kensi. The agent's eyes landed on Eric as he whistled from the railing, causing a frown to spread across the techs face as well.

"What's up?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Don't know. You got something?" Callen called over his shoulder, having stood to scrutinize his desk thinking someone might have moved something. It would have explained his instinct, but nothing seemed to have moved even a single inch.

"Ya, caught a case." Eric hesitated in answering, clearly noticing the agents were all looking at Callen suspiciously. Shaking his head, Callen sighed. Whatever it was would have to wait until later. That did not stop him from being extra aware of his surroundings. He knew one definite thing different the second he led the other agents into Ops.

"Where's Nell?" He asked Eric, crossing his arms as he came to the conclusion that any abnormality needed to be addressed. He might have let his feeling drop if she wasn't missing from their briefing, but now he couldn't shake the feeling something was definitely off. He knew better than to question his instincts, even if he felt uncomfortable with it.

"Ms. Jones was given a personal day. I believe last we spoke she was with a medical professional." Hetty answered, drawing their eyes to the Ops doors.

"What? She said she was running some errands. Is she okay?" Eric gushed, apparently forgetting the briefing he'd been about to give the agents in his worry. Worry that sunk into Callen's gut against his will. The feeling apparently mutual by the way the agents looked between Hetty, Eric, and Callen.

"Mr. Beale." Hetty pointed to the big screen, two mug shots already up for their viewing pleasure, her tone indicating she was being patient with him but he needed to focus.

"Okay…" He sighed in a depressed fashion that earned him a sympathetic look from both Kensi and Deeks. Sam it seemed was more preoccupied looking over his partner, most likely beginning to think exactly what Callen was. He had no idea why he felt the need to check up on the analyst, but something was twisting in his stomach about her unseen absence.

"Carlos Constable and Miguel Veracruz were in an accident this morning involving several other vehicles. Both men have ties to the Penza Cartel, a local Mexican drug trafficking operation not big enough to worry more than the locals yet. Traffic cams from before the accident suggest both men were alive before whatever caused it but the only camera with an angle on the actual accident belongs to a warehouse and their legal team is stonewalling us. Constable didn't make it, but according to the LAPD report it was because of a bullet to the temple and not the accident. Miguel Veracruz shows up on a traffic cam in the area ten minutes later, but I lost him in heavy foot traffic." Eric pulled up the video he had, their murder suspect running for all he was worth.

"He's injured. Was he driving or was there a third party?" Sam asked, his eyes never leaving their suspect who cradled his arm as he ran.

"We don't know. LAPD is still processing the scene." Eric tilted his tablet, clearly not having any other information for them than that.

"Why are we on this?" Callen finally asked Hetty when Eric didn't continue.

"Because I'm assigning it to you Mr. Callen. I suggest you get your team to the scene." While used to being blown off by Hetty it only increased Callen's unease, Sam's eyes returning to his partner in anticipation.

"Kensi, you and Deeks take this guy's house. This guy's injured he'll go where he feels safest. Sam and I'll take the crime scene. Eric we need that accident footage." Callen doled out the orders, leaving Ops first, his partner on his heels. Neither said anything for a while, Callen fiddling with his phone in the passenger seat. He felt like he sound call Nell, but he knew she would probably be insulted that he was checking up on her.

"What's up G?" Sam finally asked, putting that 'tell me or else' tone into his voice that made Callen finally stop looking at the passing scenery.

"Don't know…can't shake this feeling like something's not right…" He shrugged, the rising of his partner's eyebrow indicated he should continue but he couldn't explain it.

"Something off like you left the garage door open, or something like you're gonna get…" His partner started only to be cut off from finishing that sentence.

"Sam! Nice, thanks." Callen rolled his eyes, feeling a sense of de-ja-vu.

"I'm not saying you're gonna get…"

"Sam! You want me to get, you know what?!" Callen glared back at his partner, only earning a playful shrug. He did not need Sam jinxing him about being shot on top of his already bad feeling.

"Again, what's up G? You mess with that any more you're gonna need a new one and you know Hetty'll be less than thrilled." Sam turned the Challenger to the emergency lane, traffic still apparently backed up by the accident the hour before.

"Should I call her?" He finally asked Sam with a deep reluctant sigh.

"Who?" Sam shut the engine off, both partners pulling on gloves as they exited the Challenger. They flashed their badges to the traffic cop securing the scene which had apparently been moved to allow one lane of traffic.

"Nell." Callen finally answered his partner, bending down to look at the body of Carlos Constable that had fallen out of the vehicle when someone opened the passenger side door.

"Why would you call Nell?" He seemed bewildered by the question even as he continued to look over the driver's seat.

"Something's wrong." He sighed again, moving around the car while removing his gloves.

"Veracruz shoots his passenger." Sam started, motioning his hands like a weapon while he worked through the scene.

"He gets out. Shaken, this wasn't in the plan. He looks around." Callen looked to the two other cars, spotting one on its side, the undercarriage all that was visible. A blue sedan had apparently been the first victim of their cartel members, the rear flattened against the grill of the men's black Ford F150.

"So they run into the sedan. Sedan runs into the SUV," Sam indicated the overturned vehicle. "Red convertible panics when it flips, losses control and hits it from the front…There was another car here." Sam concludes, bending down to inspect what looked to be fresh tire tracks in the grass beside the road.

"Whoever it was, Veracruz took a shot at them." Callen motioned his head to several bullet holes in the undercarriage of their sandwiched car, pulling Sam to his side while he dialed Eric.

"Yeah?" The tech asked in what had to be the most depressed greeting he'd ever used. Callen leveled Sam with a meaningful look. He felt better knowing he wasn't the only one bothered by Nell's absence.

"There was another vehicle at our crash site, the tire marks don't look LAPD."

"On it." Eric hung up on Sam, earning a deep frown for his dismissal.

"Look, Nell's a big girl. She ain't gonna appreciate being checked up on." The Ex-Seal reasoned, digging out a bullet from the exhaust system with the knife from his pocket. It took the man a minute to get the metal to comply, but he held it up to the sun for them both to inspect.

"9 millimeter." The thoughtful tint to Sam's voice led Callen to believe he was on to something when he moved back to the pickup trucks driver's side.

"Veracruz wasn't carrying a gun in that footage." Callen recalled, scourging the ground with his eyes.

"He gets out of the car." Sam resumes mimicking a gun, turning it toward where Constable would have been seated.

"He looks around." Callen reiterated again.

"He sees someone else." Sam turns his hands toward the tire tracks, frowning when the windshield and car frame of the pickup truck obstructs his view.

"Whoever it was stood here." Callen put himself just to the right of the bullet holes, holding his own hands to mimic a gun leveled at his partner.

"He misses, takes one to the arm." Sam dropped his arms as Callen looked around for any signs of their second shooter. "He hits the ground." The Ex-Seal continues running through their version of events as he points to the streaked blood on the asphalt.

"Scrambles to his feet…" Callen stays in the only position they know for the second shooter, watching his partner drop to the ground beside the evidence of Veracruz's injury.

"Leaving his gun where it lands." Sam smirked in triumphant as he extracts the hand gun from under the 150. Callen leaves his position to look at the weapon his partner checks over.

"Serial number's filed off." He sighs, Callen resisting the urge to tell him it's never that easy.

"We should talk to the other drivers." Callen sighs himself, leaving Sam to take pictures of the car license plates for Eric to identify their owners while rolling his eyes at having to do Deeks job. Flagging down the nearest uniform, a man that looked considerably older than even Callen felt, he attempted to find out where the accident victims were.

"Was a mother and kid in the blue sedan," He informed Callen, flipping a notepad to both the agents amusement and irritation. "The kid was okay, but he went to the hospital with his mother. Paramedics thinks it's just a couple broke ribs, miracle that. The other drivers split before we got on scene." That drummed up conspiracy theories like no other for Callen, but he simply thanked the man whose name he hadn't even bothered to ask.

"Agent Callen?" The man called after him, his gear clinking audibly as he jogged to catch back up with the agent after having something whispered into his ear by another officer.

"Hm?" Callen put off pushing the send button for Eric as the man settled in front of him, his hand on steading his gear.

"You're office called two minutes after we got this case, but some of the guys'd like to know how Sig's doing. Not easy turning this one over, you understand." The elderly man probably nearing retirement narrowed his eyes, most likely in response to Callen's confused expression.

"You're telling me you had someone here when this happened?" Callen tried to ascertain why the hell they would be on this case if the second shooter had been one of LAPDs own.

"In a way…Sig's a police dog. One of the guys first on scene got a cell from the kid in the sedan before he left for the hospital." The man motioned for the agent to wait, trying his patience while he motioned Sam to his side. The officer returned with an evidence bag, clicking a few echoing buttons before showing it to the men in front of him. Callen and Sam both bent their heads, seeing through the halfway cloudy plastic to a video of Veracruz. The image jumped erratically, but they could make out Veracruz firing on whoever stood just out of frame. He screamed as the person shot back with a single round before what looked to be a full blooded German Shepherd came barreling toward Veracruz. Despite seeing some of the most horrible things the world had to offer, Callen and Sam cringed as the dog locked his jaws on Veracruz's already injured arm, bringing him straight to the ground as the man screamed. A sharp whistle had the dog releasing their suspect. Veracruz scrambled to his feet, running for his life. The dog, who Callen recalled was named Sig, limped back to whoever stood out of frame before ending.

"Kids mom jerks the phone out of focus, calls us." He shrugged and Callen took a second to look away from the man to keep from pressing why he hadn't thought that was the most important piece of information to start with.

"You're sure that's…Sig?" He asked the officer as Sam took possession of the evidence bag.

"Yeah, had him on a couple calls over the last year or two. Saved his handlers ass last month during a drug bust. Department's been looking for someone to adopt him." The man looked distractedly toward the tow truck now attempting to hook up the convertible, its hood bent like an accordion.

"He's not with his handler anymore?" Callen continued asking; strategically placing a hand on his hip to remind the man he didn't have all day.

"Oh, no. Sig caught one during that drug bust couple weeks ago. Officer Martinez couldn't take him, but bunch of guys got him in a rescue. Department's been circling an email to find someone that wants to take him in, but rumor has it Sig blew an undercover after saving Martinez's ass." The officer continued to watch the accident being broken down for travel to their evidence garage. Callen motioned Sam toward the now right side up SUV with his head before continuing to press about one of their only leads.

"How's a dog blow somebodies cover? Especially after taking a bullet." He felt a little compelled to defend the dog, having been shot himself.

"No idea. Some of the guys said he was at a shepherd rescue called Love and Serve." The man didn't seem to know anything else, causing Callen to nod and walk away again. Heading for the Challenger as Sam scoured the now accessible vehicle he answered a call from Kensi, voiding the called he'd been about to place to Eric.

"Veracruz isn't here. Deeks and I questioned the neighbors, but nobodies seen him. We did find a good nine or ten kilo of high quality heroin though." There was a weariness in Kensi's voice that he would recognize anywhere; the neighbors had closed rank and they had no real leads only more questions.

"Call in a team to secure the scene and head out to a dog rescue called, Love and Serve. Have Eric pull you an address, we're looking for an ex-police dog named Sig. Apparently he's responsible for part of Veracruz's injuries."

"Wait, there was a cop there? Why do we have the case then?" Kensi verbalized his own thoughts, whispering information to what had to be Deeks before he answered.

"Not a human anyway, but good question." Callen shook his head; the passenger to the Challenger open before Sam came jogging over to him. He knew instantly something was wrong with his partner by the look of worry telegraphed over his expression. Hanging up on Kensi without a word his eyes fell to the black zip case in the man's hands. Sam flipped it open, a car insurance card meeting his eyes before he paled. Raising his phone back to his ear, Sam jumped into the driver's seat, the tires squealing as he pulled away from the scene. There was no debate whether he should do it then, he called her. 

**A/N Disclaimer: Standard. I was watching the episode where Callen talked about Buddy with Tracy and this popped into my head. Just a warning, because I know some people don't like it, this is going to eventually be Nallen.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Agent Callen." Nell answered with an exhausted sigh on the third ring.

"Where are you?" He didn't bother with pleasantries, his only concern now making it to her as quickly as Sam could drive. The duo swerving in and out of already slow traffic.

"I just locked my front door. Hetty would like to speak with you." Nell sighed again and Callen had to remind himself to keep his temper in check while he leaned toward Sam, giving him her home address without a pause. Sam threw a contemplative look in his direction, but he simply turned his attention back to his phone.

"Dom." That seemed enough explanation for his partner as to why he knew Nell's address. If anything it made the man step a little harder on the gas pedal.

"Any news from our crime scene Mr. Callen?"

"Hetty…" He drew out, Sam's shoulders relaxing a small bit the only indication that the man was relieved. He knew Sam had a peculiar relationship with both Nell and Eric. Though he insisted he was not a geek, he'd grown incredibly fond of the two open members of their team. Even Callen hadn't realized just how much the ops duo meant to the man until he'd sat through a movie night with the three during Sam's recovery.

"We recovered Veracruz's weapon but I don't think we learned anything you don't already know." He silently fumed while keeping the accusing tone clear.

"I would agree with you there Mr. Callen." It almost seemed like she was playing with him and his control was tested severely.

"Care to tell me why you sent us to the crime scene when one of our own was in the hospital?" He tried not to let on his anger, but he knew it was clear. Sam sent him a look, clearly remembering what Hetty had said before they left as he had.

"You're investigation into the scene may prove useful as Ms. Jones left in a bystanders vehicle after making the decision not to pursue Veracruz." Callen pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Despite knowing Hetty would have made sure, he couldn't stop himself from asking his next question.

"Is she okay?" Hetty was quiet then, making his blood pressure rise. He tried to keep it off his face to not alarm Sam, but the man jerked the Challenger a little harder than necessary.

"As I'm sure you and Mr. Hanna are nearly here I will leave you to determine that. Good bye Mr. Callen." Hetty hung up on him as Callen saw Nell's apartment complex come into view. Sam seemed to have calmed his initial worry when he parked at a more respectable speed. Callen couldn't find it in himself to do the same despite knowing Hetty wouldn't have taken any chance with Nell. He jogged ahead of Sam, only stopping when he'd cleared the three flights of stairs separating them from 7890. He knocked quickly, making himself only do it once as Sam joined him, giving him a look he didn't want to acknowledge.

When the door opened Callen's eyes locked on Nell, nothing else mattering to him. He'd nearly lost Sam and Deeks not three months before. Nell herself nearly a month before that. He didn't stop to consider Sam or Hetty sitting on the woman's couch before he stepped into Nell's apartment. She didn't even have time to release the door before Callen wrapped his arms around her. He held back considerably having seen the butterfly bandage above her eye and the darkening bruise to her right jaw, but he pulled her into his chest. Releasing the breath he didn't know he'd held, he closed his eyes, revealing in the security that she was okay. She put her own arms around his waist, but he could tell by the way she returned his embrace she wasn't completely unscathed. Pulling back he softly took both sides of her face into his hands, angling her discolored skin for a better look at her.

"G." Sam clasped a hand on his shoulder, startling him, though they would never know by the way he simply looked over his shoulder. Knowing he was making a scene Callen dropped his hands from Nell's face, instead moving her to sit beside Hetty with a hand to her back. Sam shut the door behind them, locking it as Callen settled on the coffee table in front of the smaller women. He noticed the tea cups, but he chose not to ask how long Hetty had been there.

"Why aren't you in the boatshed?" He asked before taking Nell's idle hands in his own. Turning them over he inspected the white bandages covering her palms, her arms covered from his view by the long sleeves of her blue dress he brought his eyes back to her face. There was a small blush hiding under the rather vibrant bruise there, but it did wonders for his nerves to see it. Sam mumbled something before picking up the tea kettle behind his partner. Nell picked up one of her hands from Callen's; pointing to what he assumed was her kitchen for him.

"Mr. Beale was quick in ascertaining the identity of Ms. Jones assailant. Given what Ms. Jones has said of events she was most certainly not the target of Mr. Veracruz, rather a startling bystander to the man's crime. She informed me she had left the scene before LAPD arrived, leaving only her traveling items behind in her rush to vacate the scene. Ms. Jones is in no danger Mr. Callen." Callen didn't realize he'd started rubbing his thumbs over Nell's multicolored wrists before she picked both hands back out of his grasp to take a fresh cup of tea from Sam.

"So you sent us to the scene before telling us so we could cover her tracks." Sam summed up with a sigh of his own, handing Hetty her fresh cup as well.

"If you weren't the target, and you didn't get shot, why did you leave the scene before LAPD?" He tried not to make it sound like he was accusing her, but he saw her flinch either way.

"Ms. Jones was in a life or death situation. She made the call to not pursue Mr. Veracruz and promptly informed me of the incident in question." While it was probably meant to draw Callen's accusations toward the elder of the women, he found he could only continue looking over Nell for injuries, not caring about anything else.

"You sure you're okay Nell?" Sam hovered beside the couch, tactically still putting himself between the woman and the door. She nodded, putting her tea cup down beside Callen's hip. He followed her movements, knowing they were sluggish. He had a suspicion that Nell had been forced to climb out of the SUV she'd been driving, resulting in many more injuries he couldn't see that she wouldn't say anything about knowing her. When she winced trying to reach her feet, Callen found himself instantly on his feet with an arm around her shoulders for support. She sighed, but leaned into him as she motioned Sam to follow her into another room. Callen continued to help support her even though he knew she was less than pleased. Perhaps more surprising was she allowed him to. He looked around her bedroom with the same confusion as Sam before she opened one of the two adjacent doors and pulled away from him. Callen's unease and worry gave way to an understanding sigh as she turned on the light revealing the dog he'd seen attack Veracruz. The German Shepard picked up his head from the down comforter separating him from the tile floor. An IV stuck out from the dog's front paw, the liquid dripping from a bag securely fastened to an empty towel rack.

"I'm sorry Sig, you can go back to sleep in just a minute okay?" Nell lowered her voice to a soft and caring tone he'd heard her only use once or twice. She was slow in her movements but she sunk to the floor beside the dog when he whined putting his head back down.

"I know. I know." She tried to comfort the canine that standing could easily knock her over without trying. She ran the back of her right hand down Sig's fur, his tail twitching once in a sympathy inducing attempt to wag his tail. Sam leaned a hand to the sink behind Callen making him move closer to Nell without knowing why. He bent to his knees beside her, their legs touching in the confined spaces. Callen lowered his hand to the end of Sig's nose, the Shepard taking a deep sniff before whimpering. His tail thumped once more and Callen was reminded strongly of Buddy, his heart constricting at the comparison. Nell continued running her hand down Sig's exposed side, jumping over the bandage wrapped around the canine's middle. With a sigh of resignation Callen eased himself around the IV, finding himself incredibly thankful to the dog for protecting Nell. He leaned against her tub as he eased his legs out in front of him. He didn't look at Sam as he did, knowing his partner would have something to say about how he carefully took the dog's head into his lap. He rubbed behind Sig's left ear when the dog gave no resistance, using long and slow strokes matching Nell. The both course and soft feel reminded him more strongly of Buddy and he asked the last question his partner probably expected.

"How's he doing?" Nell met his eyes, something unreadable in them before she looked back down to the eerily still Sig.

"He was just about healed from taking a bullet in the side three and a half weeks ago, but the exertion caused the injury to reopen. He was supposed to come home with me and finish his rehab before…" Nell paused, earning an almost identical confused expression from the agents. "…The vet said he's going to need time to recuperate, but he should be okay. I've got him hooked up to a mix of sedatives and pain medications to stop him from tearing at the stiches without a cone. He dislocated his shoulder going after Veracruz, but climbing…" She sighed for perhaps the hundredth time that day as Callen left his hand in position to graze hers. "…climbing out of the car is what really did it. He'll need a couple teeth pulled when he gets better, but if he can get his rest and rehab he'll be okay. I just feel so bad; I mean I've been working with him a week and the day he gets to come home with me…this happens." She frowned, putting her cheek to Sig's shoulder gently enough to lay none of her weight on her companion.

"We'll get this guy an' figure out what's up." Sam laid his hand on Nell's shoulder, looking over Sig as sadly as she did while Callen continued to rub his hand soothingly over Sig's head.

"That leaves the question as to where we are in the case gentlemen." Hetty startled them all from the doorway.

"We sent Kensi and Deeks to the rescue figuring they'd find Sig's new owner. Think now we focus on the heroin they found at Veracruz's place. I 'ma check in with Eric." Sam motioned his way out of Nell's quickly cramped master bathroom.

"Sam." The analyst called sharply in what they all knew to mean she'd had some sort of epiphany.

"You remember something Ms. Jones?" Hetty prodded gently.

"They said before that Sig's never disobeyed a command. They retired him because of the bullet, but the incident report said he went after an undercover officer without command. I had to scent train him to me before he'd trust the whistle he was first trained with. What if he knew Veracruz? I didn't tell him to attack. You said heroin that was the substance of the undercover operation where he got shot." She leaned away from Sig's figure, the dog having all but fallen asleep apparently when he didn't even move.

"That would explain why Veracruz took off like he did. Did you announce yourself?" Callen chimed in following her train of thought.

"Not at first, but when I saw his gun, yeah. They don't ever take that well do they?" she tried to joke, directing it to Callen which earned her an amused smirk.

"He didn't hesitate to shoot at a federal agent, he ran like a girl from Sig." Sam nodded reaching into his back pocket as his phone rang.

"Well, to be fair anyone would run from you huh." Nell almost cooed over Sig, an entirely new side to the woman that they had never seen. The barely discernible blush made another appearance when she realized they were all staring at her. Sam chuckled while he answered his phone.

"Whoa, slow down Deeks." He rolled his eyes. Despite the new understanding between the two men, they definitely still irritated one another.

"We know." He said calmly, Deeks clearly continuing to say whatever he was saying when Sam crossed his arms, waiting for the detective to realize what he'd said.

"We're with Nell now; she's banged up a bit, but nothin' she can't handle." She smiled affectionately at the towering man from the floor for that.

"There's a question," Sam rolled his eyes, squeezing his lumbering frame back against Nell's lone sink to look at Hetty while covering the mouth of his cell phone. "We telling Eric or we just let him keep thinkin' it's a normal case?" Callen and Nell both looked to Hetty who simply looked back with a raised eyebrow. Taking the hint Callen caught Nell's eyes, seeing the exhaustion she was trying to hide with ease.

"Have Kensi and Deeks bring in Sig's old handler Martinez. Have Eric track down our disappearing witnesses we need to know if anyone else was involved. Eric's your call Nell." He finally stopped petting Sig's head to give her his full attention. She seemed to squirm at being asked to make such a call. He couldn't blame her, this was her partner, but for that reason she was the only one that could make that decision for him. Her eyes landed back on Sig before she winced while retrieving her cell phone from the sink counter. Sam handed it to her before she'd reached up half way earning a halfway grateful expression. They waited for her decision, though they all knew who she was calling.

"Hi Eric." She greeted, wincing at what sounded clearly in the bathroom as an incredibly long ramble of worry from her partner.

"I'm fine…oh…I was at the vet today…I'm looking after a dog…I'll be out today, just wanted to check on everything…that so?" She feigned innocence, the agents knowing she'd just made up her mind.

"Okay, I'll see you later." She hung up, looking at the image of Eric attached to his caller id with a frown. Sam turned back to Deeks.

"Yeah, no Eric's not gonna know yet." He snipped irritated in a way that made Callen assume he'd interrupted a conversation between Deeks and Kensi. "Deeks." He snapped. "You and Kensi go pick up Sig's LAPD handler, bring him back to the boatshed, there might be a connection to the heroin and the dog." Sam rolled his eyes before hanging up without another word.

"Mr. Callen?" Hetty questioned, obviously wanting to know what his next move was. Despite everything telling him he needed to keep Nell in his sight he forced his feelings away.

"Sam and I'll pay a visit to some sources. Try to scare up some information on why Veracruz had such a large stash of heroin. Everything at this point still points to the drugs; Eric might get lucky with the serial number on Veracruz's gun." He made sure to be as careful as possible moving Sig's head back to the large blanket beneath him. He wondered how Nell managed to get Sig there or even away from the scene but he didn't linger on it to long as he left her with him. Hetty and Sam vacated the bathroom as well. Callen turned back to shut the door, feeling his heart constrict he resisted the urge to move back to his previous position as Nell laid herself down beside Sig. She made sure she was far enough away not to get caught in the dog's limbs, but she continued petting his fur in long smooth strokes. He laid his head against the door once he'd closed it, trying to even his breathing. Something about seeing Nell and Sig was tugging at his heart in a way it only did when his teammates were in life or death situations. He knew he was worried about her, no matter what Hetty said or they knew about her identity remaining secret, but there wasn't any reason for him to be so shaken. Joining Sam and Hetty in Nell's living room he noticed the contemplation he was being subjected to but he just raised his eyebrow at the two of them.

"If there's a connection, Nell could still be in danger." He effectively cut off their focus on him.

"I agree Mr. Callen, though our brave service animal is not fit for travel at this time. Ms. Jones has been planning the acquisition of her newest companion since the LAPD requested a new home for Mr. Sauer. She was very thorough of course, leaving no identifying information with the rescue or LAPD save her name and several backstopped details for the application. Though she was not intending to keep Mr. Sauer I believe given events she will want to do so anyway." Hetty reassured Callen, motherly patience coloring her voice.

"What was she gonna do, foster the guy?" Sam didn't seem to realize what he'd said until Callen gave him a look that clearly told him he was not amused, earning a surrender gesture in response.

"I believe that is irrelevant at this time. I will stay with Ms. Jones until Ms. Blye and Detective Deeks have secured Officer Martinez in the boat shed. At which point I expect you will have completed shaking the source you had in mind Mr. Callen."

"Wait, Mr. Sauer?" Sam asked Hetty, while moving toward the door, prepared to leave.

"Yes Mr. Hanna. Our brave fighter in this case bears the name Sig Sauer. I believe Officer Martinez chose to name him after his weapon of choice. Be quick about it Mr. Callen, it was not an easy task convincing Ms. Jones to forgo bringing our Mr. Sauer to Ops with her." Nodding toward her, Callen forced his feet out Nell's front door, keeping the hesitation and unease off his face as he and Sam piled into the Challenger quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

"Louis?" Sam chuckled, knowing who Callen had intended to question, though he knew his partner didn't have a clue where his mind really was because it was confusing him already.

"Back up doesn't get more secure than Hetty, G." Sam finally threw in his partner's direction after they'd chased, or rather walked, after the rotund informant and persuaded him to tell them he knew the cartel was trying to up its game by exchanging drugs for weapons. They were currently on their way back to the boatshed to regroup with the junior partnership, knowing they'd gotten nowhere with Martinez since they had not called. Callen didn't dignify his observation with a response, choosing instead to continue looking out the passenger window, still trying to figure out why he was so off balance. He hadn't felt like this since Janvier betrayed Sam to Sidorov and his failure to rise to Sam's banter had clearly alerted the man.

"Something's up with you G. You know you're gonna tell me eventually." The Ex-seal took his eyes off the road to look determinedly at his partner, though he only spared the man a glance accompanied by a sigh. He held out with his silence ten long minutes before he gave in to Sam, convincing himself to see if his partner could explain what was going on better than he could.

"Haven't felt like this since you and Deeks…" Callen started, not needing to finish the sentence since he caught his partner wincing at the memory.

"That bad?!" Sam asked in disbelief, fidgeting his hold on the steering wheel while shock registered over his body language.

"Trying to figure out why, and gettin' nowhere." He reluctantly admitted with a sigh, his eyes going back out the window.

"You think that feeling this morning was because of Nell?" Sam asked after far too long of a pause to be comfortable, the even tone doing nothing for Callen's mood.

"Don't know, but when I see Veracruz…" The threat lingered in the air meaningfully, Callen having imagined shooting the man several times in the last hours since leaving Nell's. Sam's silence threatened to draw Callen's temper, but he busied himself by retrieving his weapon to strip in his lap.

"You remember the uranium case couple months back?" The mountain of a man finally asked when Callen had all the pieces taken apart, the bumpy ride no match for his skill with the machine.

"Nell's last undercover? We gave that to Red team when we caught a lead." Callen responded without bothering to look up, still feeling the depression, anxiety, and rage warring inside him but not mentioning the mad man's name for his partner's sake.

"You called off that op mid go." Sam stated, his voice staying unnervingly calm considering what Callen had just divulged to him.

"You're point?" He snapped, knowing he'd buy the man a beer when he wasn't in such a bad mood as an apology.

"Why'd you call that off?" Callen glared at the side of Sam's face, since he clearly knew Callen didn't have an answer for that either.

"Think about it G. What does that and today have in common?" Callen continued to glare at his partner, wondering why on earth the man couldn't just come out and say what he was getting at. When the silence lasted all the way to the boatshed Sam finally gave in, taking a detour on a side street away to loop around their destination.

"You've got feelings for Nell, G. Pretty damn strong ones if you ain't shaken 'um in months." His partner continued, that same neutral tone driving Callen to all but grind his teeth while snapping his weapon back to live status.

"Don't shoot the messenger." Callen tucked his gun back into the waistband of his jeans, knowing Sam would never actually think he'd shoot him no matter how angry he was.

"No..." Callen muttered, even as a sinking feeling took hold of his stomach. Was it even possible he hadn't noticed himself falling for Nell? He thought it was a ridiculous conclusion on his partner's part at first, but then it hit him. That feeling that morning had a cause. Nothing was wrong with his desk, no one had been there. No one had started the office coffee. That's what had set him off. Nell had made a habit of brewing both Hetty's tea and the bull pens coffee every morning for two years. She had never forgotten since she always got the first cup of the day before heading to Ops and Eric. She had a habit of drinking it while putting her stuff in her locker and squaring herself away before heading to Ops when she finished it. He'd quietly seen her do it more than a handful of times when he was coming off an all-nighter. Even when she headed straight up to Ops on a particularly bad case, she'd come back down with her first errand, usually to inform Hetty of something, and never forgot to start the machine in the small break area.

The frown broadcast over his entire body language was all Sam needed to head back to the boat shed, knowing pushing any more would be a very bad idea. As it was Callen quietly lingered behind his partner when Kensi and Deeks informed them they couldn't get him to talk simply because Deeks was LAPD. Well, Kensi informed while Deeks played with a Doberman puppy in the corner. Without waiting for Kensi to stop talking Callen made his way into the interrogation room, having watched the man for long enough.

_A/N Jumped a head a little. This one's short but I felt it was important that way. Sam and G aren't really the lengthy conversation people in my opinion._


End file.
